Billboards are a popular advertising medium because they’re a great way to get a simple message to a lot of people quickly and affordably. They can target people based on the location where they will be viewed, and they often have a captive audience who has no choice but to notice the sign.

But, in the internet age, are they becoming less useful? Do we depend on electronic targeting and digital technology to get our point across?

No, not with a little creativity. In fact, one recent campaign of Spotify funny ads is a perfect example of how outdoor advertising can be even more successful than something posted online.

Thanks 2016, it’s been weird

In November of 2016, the online music streaming service Spotify launched a global campaign of funny ads using billboards. Each sign contained messages that were localized for the markets where they appeared. The messages were crafted using Spotify data to find what people were listening to, and they often matched with specific and memorable events that occurred that year. Then they added in a strong mix of humor to make sure they were entertaining, and splashed them proudly on billboards.

Some messages were specifically for the local audience, such as this one in the UK:

“Dear 3,749 people who streamed “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” the day of the Brexit vote, Hang in there.”

Others showed where the data came from, but still could work anywhere in the world, like:

“Dear person in L.A. who listened to the “Forever Alone” playlist for 4 hours on Valentine’s Day, you ok?”

Indirect Brand Advertising

One thing you’ll notice about these Spotify funny ads are that they don’t say anything specific about what Spotify does. They all refer to people listening to songs, so they imply that the company has something to do with playing music, but it doesn’t have any other information about why you would want to use the service. They assume that everyone who would use them to stream music already knows about their offering and how it works, or is smart enough to pop the name into a search engine.

This saves valuable real estate on the sign to show the new look of their brand, and it doesn’t distract from the humor.

Showing Their Fun Side

One of the biggest reasons that companies go with ads that deliver some sort of emotion is because they give personality to a brand. This works in the case of Spotify, because one of their main purposes is to offer entertainment. These signs weren’t music to your ears, but they probably caused you to laugh a little bit. This adds to an overall image of a company that will make you happy, and you’ll subconsciously remember that when choosing which website to get your music from.

Relevant to the Time

Another brilliant aspect of this campaign was how it was relevant to the time. 2016 was a busy year in the world, and there were many celebrity deaths, unexpected political situations, multiple international crises, and a lot of other difficult or surprising events. Social media users had become used to blaming everything on 2016, and this campaign played right into that – in a non-depressing way. It even managed to take all that distress and turn it into something funny.

Billboards Going Viral

One of the common concerns about billboards is that they’re not as likely to go viral as something that’s easy to share online. This campaign helped prove that not only are billboards not outdated, but the number of digital cameras out there may make them more likely to go viral than an image saved on a website. A campaign has to be made correctly, but physical objects can be less likely to get lost in the noise.

Big Data in a New Way

Speaking of going viral, this Spotify funny ads campaign used another buzzword that’s popular in the internet era: big data. Many companies are gathering and cataloging massive amounts of data from their customers, and most are still trying to figure out what to do with it. This information is a dream for marketers and advertisers (especially in the online space), but this is a creative use of it that many hadn’t thought of. Big data in an ironic way really stood out.

Grab Attention with Your Billboards!

This example with Spotify is just one of many recent campaigns where outdoor advertising was still going strong in the 21st century. It’s often a good idea to balance it out with the other advertising media you use, but it can be a strong way to boost sales and build brands in many different industries.

Reach out to us if you have any ideas you’d like to discuss seeing on a sign, and we’ll be overjoyed if it’s a funny campaign like this that will spread the laughs around!

It is a common misconception held by many people that billboards are an “outdated” and “old school” form of advertisement. Oftentimes television ads, websites, or even social media platforms are pushed as the most current and relevant forms of advertising. Despite this, billboards have not gone away and have not become any less useful for spreading a message. Instead, the medium of physical billboards has advanced from new technology becoming available. We’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of billboard technology examples which show some of the options which are possible and how they can be used effectively.

Digital Screens And The Power Of Movement

Screen technology has changed the world. From televisions, to phones, to computers- screens are everywhere. High quality digital screens allow for moving, non-static video to be displayed virtually anywhere, and billboards are no exception.

The ability to have a short video play on a billboard gives advertisers so much more power when it comes to both grabbing an audience’s attention and sending a message.

Video billboards effectively manage to combine all of the strengths of a television ad with the benefits of physical billboards.

Static vs Dynamic Content

What’s more is that digital billboards also make it easy to display and change content. Instead of having to worry about the costs associated with the manual labor of actually putting up a billboard, the content can instead be sent directly to the billboard. Digital billboards are also capable of changing between multiple messages, allowing advertisers to alternate between different ads. This has allowed for digital billboards to completely change their pricing format given that such billboards can now host many more advertisement slots at once.

Individual ads are also able to display content which may be time sensitive or reliant upon outside data. While in a traditional billboard the message must be static and hold true at any time during all conditions, the message on a digital billboard can change depending on the time of day, weather conditions, or some other factor.

When messages are able to be tailored around certain fluctuating factors, many opportunities for very convincing marketing strategies open up.

People Looking At Billboards, Billboards Looking At People

While billboards are things to be looked at, what if a billboard were to do some looking of its own? Technology these days does not stop when it comes to displaying dynamic information, as digital cameras and pattern recognition make it possible for billboards to identify trends within a crowd and change their information accordingly.

While this type of functionality might sound far fetched, one such example of it includes the Picadilly Lights display in London. On top of having a huge display space, with the ad’s 4K LED screen being the size of two professional basketball courts, the ad is able to detect ages, emotions, and vehicles in order to adjust the content it shows.

As digital ads online have taught us, the best advertisements are targeted. Being able to leverage ad targeting with billboard technology continues to escalate the strength of billboards as an advertising medium.

Big Screens For Big Events

The huge size and quality of new digital screens allow them to be incredibly versatile and multi-purposed. In addition to displaying ads with dynamic content on them, it is also possible to leverage the space in order to display important or popular events, such as a baseball game or concert. Those wanting to draw people to a public space with their event will find their efforts greatly enhanced by making use of such digital billboard technology.

A good advertisement is not just about pushing a product- it’s about solving a problem. After all, at the core of strong businesses is the desire to change the world in some fashion, not just to make money. When an advertisement comes along and is able to challenge the way its audience sees the world, it promotes the vision of its company. An example of such an ad can be found in the form of an innovative campaign run by Toyota some time back.

The Climbable Billboard – What Is It?

There are multiple layers to this advertisement. First, an incredibly large amount of billboard space was bought depicting the vehicle in front of a cliff face. This works on a traditional billboard level, as the car in front of the cliff is supposed to evoke a feeling of wonder and adventure- all normal stuff for a car ad.

You know those artificial rock walls that can be found inside of recreational sports centers? Something similar to that was created for a billboard advertising the new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

While parts of this advertisement indeed resemble your average billboard, don’t be so easily fooled. Unlike your usual billboard with faux 3D elements, the rocks on this billboard are designed to handle the weight of a human body and are fully climbable. The height of this artificial rock wall clocks in at a dizzying a 120ft.

Three professional rock climbers and one brave amatuer climber took on the trial to scale the side of this wall, surrounded on all sides by the towering skyscrapers of New York’s Time Square. Each of the climbers demonstrated their climbing technique to amazed onlookers in real time, encouraging them to go out and seek adventures of their own.

Who’s Behind The Ad?

The ad agency responsible for this campaign is none other than the LA branch of the famed Saatchi & Saatchi. Despite being based out of Los Angeles, they decided the best spot for such a large and innovative campaign would be New York’s Time Square, which has been home to some of the most creative (and expensive) physical media ads over the years.

It was here in Times Square that Saatchi LA were not only able to capture the attention of the denizens of New York, but the entire world as reports of the impressive campaign spread across the internet through articles such as this one.

What Were The Results?

The ad itself stood as the largest outdoor climbing wall ever built in New York city, earning itself a record which will certainly give New Yorkers and record buffs a reason to remember it for quite some time. However in terms of pure fiscal results- the sales of the Toyota RAV4 hybrid in 2016 and 2017 have shot up in comparison to previous years. It’s annual sales figures for 2016, the year in which the ad aired, were the highest in the vehicle’s history.

The campaign was bold enough that famed advertising publication, Adweek, suggested that such an ad may have “redefined the billboard.”

Toyota’s commitment to the message behind their lines of outdoor SUVs was conveyed through the passion that was put into this ad. Given the increased sales figures, it’s only safe to assume that this passion was properly conveyed and inspired many to go on adventures of their own.

Creativity is a crucial part of any successful outdoor media campaign. With billboards being a very popular form of marketing all over the world, there’s no shortage of great examples to choose from. We’ve analyzed a variety of outdoor media from all over the world and put together our list of the best outdoor advertising campaigns out there!

McDonalds: What Time Is It Billboard

Sundials have been a method of telling the time since some of the earliest parts of human history. This creative outdoor advertising campaign uses this method of time tracking in order to bind together the “time aspect” of its message, by linking the actual Earth time dynamically with the ad.

Tylenol: Wrecking Ball Billboard

For whatever reason, painkiller commercials and billboards seem to be in love with visual metaphors. Most of the time, this is in an attempt to show empathy for those that struggle with frequent headaches and migraines. It’s as if they are saying, “We get your pain- we have a solution.”

Pond’s: Little Pore Cleaning Guys Billboard

Speaking of visual metaphors, here’s another good outdoor advertising campaign. The concept of “little men” doing tasks beyond the range of the visible eye is a very common one which helps allow people to have trust and understanding in the process that takes place.

McDonalds: BIG Mac Billboard

This ad doesn’t even need to use words to get its message across. “This burger is so big, it can’t even fit on two billboards.” While of course, the burger’s depiction on an ad isn’t representative of its actual size, it serves as an easy visual shorthand which clicks with the brain naturally.

YMCA: Basketball Billboard

It’s fun to stay at the YMCA~ Nostalgic 1970’s throwbacks aside, this outdoor advertising ad campaign is an effective combination of form and function. Instead of simply showing an image of the inside of one of the YMCA facilities, this ad instead deigns to bring a piece of the facility to the viewer themselves.

LEGO: Constructing With Bricks Billboard

This creative outdoor media is less of a billboard and more of a dynamic outdoor art piece. This ad uses the contrast between the concept of LEGO as a child’s construction toy and the serious nature of real-world construction in order to grab the attention of its audience.

Nestle: This Candy’s For The Birds Billboard

Anyone who lives in a major metropolitan area will no doubt be familiar with wild flocks of birds terrorizing parks and restaurants in the attempt to scrounge up food. This ad uses this familiar visual in an attempt to demonstrate how desirable and delicious these Nestle candy bars are.

DHL: Unpacking The Ad Billboard

Hello, your billboard has arrived! Given how iconic DHL’s packaging and branding is, this creative billboard ad doesn’t really need to do much other than remind people that the brand exists. People like to receive packages, so seeing a giant package unboxed with an express label on it triggers a specific subset of endorphins within the brain that the audience will then associate with the brand.

Science World: Diamonds Aren’t Rare Billboard

In the world of writing, there’s an age-old adage which is show don’t tell. This concept can be held up to many other mediums and industries, even advertising! In this case, this outdoor advertising campaign comprised of diamonds makes for a quite effective means of getting their point across. It’s one thing for someone to say a fact and another for them to prove it.

Denver Water: Maximum Efficiency Billboard

Usually the flashier the billboard, the better. In this case, the exact opposite is true. While this creative outdoor media ad still defies audience expectations and grabs your attention, there’s no denying it’s simplicity. Given that this ad is to spread awareness about a serious issue and not to sell a product, there is also a level of gravity and somberness imparted by its stark nature.

Billboards aren’t always used to continue a previous ad campaign, but it can be a great idea. Also, billboards don’t usually insult or scare the customers watching them. Not only was that seen as impossible throughout most of advertising history, but it was also viewed as a bad idea to hurt the feelings of the people who you want to buy your product.

However, one well-known candy bar brand managed to do all of the above with their Snickers billboard, and it worked out well for them.

Marilyn Dafoe Scaring People

A digital Snickers billboard was set up on a street in New York City. The image showed the famous scene from the 1955 film Seven Year Itch when Marilyn Monroe was standing over a blowing subway grate in a white dress. But, when passersby stopped to look a little bit closer, something happened. Marilyn suddenly looked, well, different.

She would quickly change into the face of Willem Dafoe, but he was still wearing the white dress and recreating the scene. He’d be looking right into their face, and he’d have a big frown – quite different from the lovely smile worn by Marilyn. It may have freaked out quite a few pedestrians, but it certainly got people talking.

Part of a Bigger Snickers Campaign

This may sound like a bit of a random thing to have a billboard do, but it makes complete sense if you know the whole story. Snickers has had a long running campaign of famous people being angry in situations where they didn’t quite fit, and then someone around would give them one of the candy bars. After eating a bite, they’d turn back into someone who made complete sense in the situation.

The whole concept is that “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” but the Snickers bar can bring you back to life. So, the brand decided to use that concept to make that a Super Bowl commercial in 2016, and they went with the whole scene of Dafoe reenacting the iconic image before some tasty chocolate turned him back into Monroe. They made the billboard a few months later, and it served as a brilliant continuation of the ad.

The Snickers Billboard Was Watching

It may seem like this was just a random changing billboard, but that’s far from the truth. It actually had facial-recognition software built in, so it knew when people were stopping to look at it. If it didn’t have this capability, it wouldn’t have had such an impact because it wouldn’t have been able to startle people. But now, the timing was perfect, and the angry Dafoe was glaring right at the people who would soon subconsciously purchase a Snickers bar when in a bad mood.

Reaction in the Ad World

Both ads were created for Snickers by BBDO New York, and they got a lot of praise throughout the ad industry. Many were impressed at how they were able to resurrect a Super Bowl ad months later, and it’s used as a case study about the successful implementation of facial-recognition software in a billboard. It seems that’s something that people are going to see quite a bit more of.

Billboards Are Still Relevant

In a world where technology seems obsolete about a week after it’s introduced, many people think that billboards are an advertising form of the past. However, this is a perfect example of why they’re not. Most of the people walking by the billboard were interested in it just because it was digitally moving and recreating a famous movie scene where it would’ve taken place. The rest of the world took notice of the campaign because of what happened after that, but the people who saw it would have been interested even if it didn’t have Willem startling them in such a memorable way.

More Media is Better

Another big lesson to learn from this campaign is that you don’t have to limit your advertising to one type of media. Different ads can serve various purposes across multiple different platforms, and this can help to increase engagement and spread your message. This situation even shows that they don’t have to be made at the same time. The Super Bowl commercial came out months before the billboard, but it was brought back to life by the new sign that pushed its way into people’s lives.

Get Creative with Your Own Campaigns

Even if you’re not a producer of candy bars with a budget able to hire celebrity endorsers, putting some creativity into your advertisements can really help your bottom line. But, you don’t necessarily need to pay top dollar to an advertising agency to make it happen. If you have an idea you’d like to see turned into a reality, just get in touch with us for some help. Just make sure to grab a Snickers first, we prefer to deal with people in a happy mood!

Everyone needs a dentist at some point in their lives. That being said no matter where you live, odds are there are a large number to choose from. Dental advertising is a very tough and competitive space to try and get the message and brand across to potential customers. That being said, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and some dental offices have used humor, creativity, and a number of other ways to utilize outdoor media to their advantage. Here are some of the best dental billboard advertising ideas we’ve seen around.

Whitlock Dental: Getting Some Work Done

Billboards which use dummies dressed up to look like people can be an incredibly effective tool at getting the attention of drivers. Most people are not very used to seeing crews working on installing a new billboard. This means that when a driver does indeed catch someone working on a billboard it catches them off guard, even more so when they realize that the person’s actions are actually in line with the billboard.

Here of course, the message is supposed to demonstrate that the whitening offered by Whitlock Dental is as easy and effective as painting over a billboard.

Coast Dental: Fill In The Gaps

Speaking of catching people off guard and making them feel uncomfortable, here is another billboard which aims to do just the same. When one looks at a billboard, they expect to see one continuous image. The gaps in this billboard defy the expectations of the viewer and thus catch their attention. More than that however, a desire to fix the gap in the billboard is created within the viewer. Those needing braces or who know others who need braces will ideally end up connecting these two thoughts together.

Excellence Dental: Monster Mash

Frankenstein’s monster is a classic and memorable pop culture icon. Regardless if one is familiar with the source material, it is highly unlikely that they aren’t familiar with this giant green abomination. By editing this well known character Excellence Dental is able to grab the attention of drivers who will recognize that something is off.

This is coupled with the clever play of words in the ad, “A great smile changes everything.” While in the context of the ad it is meant as, “a great smile can make you feel more confident,” it takes on a secondary meaning in that “this thing added to something else makes it look very different.”

Rhoads DDS: Scrubbing Away Filth

While many probably remember being told to color inside of the lines during kindergarten and elementary school, this isn’t always the case in the world of professional graphic design and advertising. Thinking outside the box, literally in some cases, will lead to gripping and visually interesting ad campaigns. This ad may not be as exciting as some of the other selections on this list, but in its subtlety lies its brilliance. Having the toothbrush just ever so slightly extend past the borders of the billboard adds a necessary level of dynamism to the ad.

In addition to this, the ad’s use of color is striking and does much to convey its message. The absolutely filthy yellow and the texture used on it creates a sense of unease in the viewer which is then contrasted with the beautiful pure white background that the company’s logo sits on.

Community Dental Care: Billboard Destruction

As previously demonstrated- breaking the “fourth wall” is an effective way of grabbing the attention of your audience. In this case we have a billboard which utilizes two different backgrounds to give the impression that a child is actually eating the billboard.

Given how seemingly bizarre and difficult this task would be, this advertisement is able to use this exaggeration in order to get across the idea that they help build strong teeth. The text goes out of it’s way however to make references to other services, of which are implied just to be as effective as the teeth strengthening.

Center For Dental Implants: Bite This

Perhaps one of the more unique examples here, this billboard actually doesn’t feature any images of teeth or dental products on it. Instead it attempts to paint a vivid mental image in the viewer’s mind of them biting into an apple.

It uses this as a sort of filter in order to connect with its target audience. Those that imagine biting into the apple and enjoying it are essentially disqualified from the offer. If the viewer however were to imagine going through pain or difficulty then the billboard has found someone who stands to benefit from their service. It reminds these viewers of the pain they experience and offers a personal and relevant solution to them.

Who says there isn’t humor to be found in advertising? Truly great ads are capable of evoking strong emotions within their audience, something which can also be achieved through comedy. We’ve compiled some of the funniest signs and billboards we could find which show just how effective humor can be at grabbing someone’s attention.

The Stuff Of Nightmares

If one hasn’t experienced this situation at least once in their lives, then it is for the best that they never do. No words are even needed for the message in this billboard. It presents a problem and a solution side by side, relying on the imagery of the problem to be strong enough to make the solution look attractive.

What Did You Just Say?

The classic bait and switch. Catch someone’s attention with an alarming out of context statement, then clarify the usage. The result is most likely a hearty chuckle and some more eyes on your billboard. While it might seem that this billboard would lose its effectiveness if the viewer isn’t married, the resulting confusion would only make the statement more perplexing.

Puns Are Hanoi-ing

For those not in the know, Phuket is a popular beach resort destination found in Thailand. As far as location themed puns go, the jokes write themselves. Still, it’s refreshing to see an airline company have a sense of humor. There’s some tact to the implementation of the pun as it doesn’t come off too tasteless or brash.

Camera Shy

Beautifully elegant and creative- this is simply a non-rectangular billboard with a tarp covered over part of it. However, the message and visual effect is clear and effectively gets its point across. Most everyone can relate to being embarrassed by pimples so the humor in this billboard comes from the how relatable and human the message is.

Personal Hygiene

When advertisements interact with the surrounding world in a creative and unique way, it can catch oneself off guard. While this ad seems like a potential safety and fire hazard in the making, it catches the eye and makes creative use of something we usually ignore. It’s gross enough to create a sense of discomfort in the viewer which it then offers a solution to.

Your Dog Has A Case Of Humans

Ever heard someone say something along the likes of, “those people look like ants from up here?” Someone at Frontline ran with the concept, except with fleas instead of ants. The imagery of the obviously uncomfortable and itchy dog goes a long ways towards providing the framing required to interpret the people as fleas.

Happy Little Trees

No matter what’s troubling you, hearing Bob Ross say his signature line, “let’s paint some happy little trees” has a mysterious soothing effect. The tribute offered by this sign is sure to bring a warm smile to the face of just about anyone. Sure, there’s no joke per se, but it’s cute and playful- traits not normally found in road signs.

Calling You Out

Despite being placed in public spaces, the communication that happens between a billboard and the viewer is actually quite a personal and private one. The one-way direction of the message allows this billboard to call out passing drivers and personalize its message without actually adapting to each individual. Sure, it won’t hold true for everyone passing by, but it will be more effective for those that fit the message.

Worst Possible Spokesperson

Context is key when it comes to delivering a joke. In this case, the signs themselves are what you would expect. Instead it is their creative placement by employees that brings forth humor from the created implication.

Especially in our era of digital media, advertisements which utilizes real-life 3D space are often overlooked by creative agencies. Billboards offer advantages and freedom that other mediums such as banner ads won’t be able to compete with. Here are some of the best and most creative examples of 3D billboards from a variety of companies and industries.

Donatos Pizza

The most impressive part of this billboard is the fact that they’ve actually teamed up with another advertisement. Consumers are used to advertisements competing with each other, each in their own little separate pieces of the world. When two advertisements end up crossing paths like this the result is an unusual but unique synergy which ends up benefitting.

It doesn’t stop here though, Donatos has actually teamed up to do similar ads for their pizza with other brands. The fact that they were able to coordinate this level of cross promotion not just once, but multiple times, is astounding.

Hairclub

Compared to some of the other selections on our list, this ad doesn’t necessarily push the boundaries of what can be done with 3D billboards. Compared to lavish and impressive set pieces on some of the other billboards, this ad’s simplicity shows that creating an effective 3D billboard doesn’t necessarily require a huge budget.

Quitplan

If one were to take a moment to really look at the actual graphics of the billboard, they would quickly realize that it is comprised entirely of some plain text on top of a colored background. It seems like a lot more is going on here thanks to the 3D cigarette butt under the sign, but this billboard is the picture of simplicity. The majority of the ad is actually in the cigarette butt itself- the sign conveys the information it needs to convey but the eye is naturally drawn to the cigarette due to the contrasting light color compared to the billboard.

Galavant

Cars and planes “breaking through” the billboard are a commonly recurring theme when you look at many 3D billboards. A horse however is a new spin on the old formula. While the visual interest and excitement of something approaching the audience is still there, the horse, night, and fantasy environment aren’t something people are as used to seeing and make it stand out.

Fallsview Casino

There’s a certain magic about big things that shouldn’t be big and small things that shouldn’t be small. When we end up seeing something that isn’t the size we’ve come to expect, it invokes a sense of wonder and giddy. This concept is used frequently in film and many amusement parks to great measure. Thus, the concept of making a giant ad out of a small commonplace object does well to capitalize on this idea.

The Peanuts Movie

While most other “crashing through the billboard” ads simply stick out the front of a thing, this one goes a step further and actually makes it appear to destroy the ad. Similar types of ads also don’t usually have a good reason for the subject of the ad to be coming out the front- what is it moving towards? Those familiar with The Peanuts series of comics and cartoon shorts though will recognize this billboard as a small recreation of one of the more famous strips. Even for those not familiar with the brand, it’s still visually interesting and does a good job of conveying a sense of excitement about the movie.

Absolut

Ever gone to a furniture store just to get inspiration from how they’ve set up their mockup living spaces? There’s something cool about seeing dioramas, how perfect and frozen in time they appear to be. This Absolut ad invokes the same spirit while also adding in a different layer of visual interest, the 90 degree angle of the furniture.

Much like a piece of art conceived by MC Escher, the rules of gravity just don’t seem to work the same way on this ad. Drivers will inevitably be drawn to the piece out of curiosity and wonder, thus inadvertently exposing themselves to the Absolut brand.

The best way to have consumers remember and form a connection with your brand is to have them interact with it directly. Some examples of this would be providing the consumer with a positive customer experience inside a retail outlet or by hosting a some sort of competition involving your brand. However, with a bit of creativity and the right marketing team, you can get consumers to interact with your brand through the medium of billboards. We’ve collected a list of some of the most inspiring ones that have caught our attention.

L&P Summer Swag

The biggest obstacle when it comes to interactive billboard is the interactive part. What is the billboard supposed to interact with and how does it interact with that thing? The goal is often to get consumers to interact with the billboard, but in order to do so the proper motivation must be in place. There has to be some sort of reward that one can gain from taking an action.

While similar in concept to the Burt’s Bees ad we’ve covered previously, New Zealand soda company L&P goes a step further by upping consumer motivation with better rewards.

This L&P billboard gives everyone who interacts with it a free wearable merchandise. On top of being an effective ad, the merchandise provided by the billboard continues to remind the consumer of the brand.

Nike’s UNICEF Treadmill Billboard

Many interactive billboards generally rely on the use of an app or website which can be accessed from a smartphone. This billboard however is powered by your feet! And legs. And rest of your body.

Nike teamed up with UNICEF in order to publicize a 10k run in Argentina, they partnered up with while also spreading philanthropy. They set up a three dimensional billboard that was linked up to a treadmill. The treadmill would track the distance run and send the information back to the billboard, which would display the number

The piece that ties everything together is the motivation given to the audience. For every kilometer run, Nike promised to donate a set amount of money to UNICEF. Given the billboard’s timing right before Nike’s 10k, preparing for the run using this billboard’s treadmill would directly end up helping others in need.

Bustop’s Naughty Peekaboo

From Marilyn Monroe’s famous sewer grate picture to countless cartoon chases, the concept of a skirt accidentally being lifted up by the wind has proven itself a truly timeless gag. Unlike Marilyn Monroe however, lingerie company Bustop actually wants you to see what’s under their skirt.

This clever ad relies on the wind to blow up a physical over sized skirt placed on the billboard. While it might seem a little counter-intuitive and over reliant on weather conditions, it is actually more reliable than it looks. Districts densely packed with tall buildings will often act as wind tunnels, increasing the speed at which the wind passes. Placed in the right spot, this ad will do its job consistently and with style.

Prigat Smile Stations

When you’re having a bad day, sometimes all it takes is a kind word in order to make you feel a bit better. Whether it’s a compliment from a stranger or a joke made by a friend, a small amount of joy goes a long way. Israeli juice company Prigat teamed up with famed branding firm Publicis in order to test out this concept and spread some happiness.

These billboards, dubbed “Smile Stations” by Prigat, were set up in train stations dotting Israel. The idea for the smile stations were to have an interactive billboard which provided amusing or uplifting content to anyone who passed by. Instead of just having the billboard spout inane, cookie cutter compliments, Publicis and Prigat instead decided to let consumers create the content themselves.

People who liked Prigat’s page on Facebook were invited to post content with the intention of making the reader smile. This content was then sent to the smile stations for passerby to see and interact with. If someone looking at the billboard enjoyed the content, they would be able to hit a physical Facebook “like” button on the smile station which would then capture their expression.

Outdoor media has always been an industry filled with creativity. We live in a world where most people witness thousands of advertisements every single day, so being different and cutting through the noise is crucial for anyone who wants to get their message across. Humor is often an angle advertisers take to reach potential customers. Sometimes it’s intentional and other times it’s not. We’ve put together a list of our favorite funny billboard mistakes.

A Senior Citizen Washing and Vacuuming Service

If this was an actual service someone was offering- we wouldn’t be too surprised. The price seems about right as well.

Bye Used Cars

This one stands out so much that we almost want to believe that it was done intentionally. Think about it- you’ve got a used car and you want to get rid of it, where do you go? Here I guess, because they’ll make that car go bye?? Even if it’s not a horrible misspelling, it’s a terribly forced pun and we aren’t sure which one is worse.

Eccept the Challenge

I’m hoping this was the result of “let our students change the marquee” day. If not then this elementary school has probably very few future spelling bee champions…

A Really Bad Billboard

Not only is there major issues with the grammar and spelling of this billboard, but it’s hard to understand the purpose at all? From a poor clipart design, to the irony of it all, we just don’t really know what to think about this one…

A Mistake on Pupose

One has to wonder whether the banner on the bottom was added after the fact or whether this was done intentionally. We missed it the first time too…

Stealing Letters

Imagine needing to update a marquee with a new discount or offer, only to find out that you don’t have the letters you need. Now imagine having that happen again and again.

S p a c e O u t F o n t s

Font spacing can be very important. This billboard looks a bit different from a distance…

Spelling Problems

This might not be the best school to go to…

Another Purposeful Mistake

Unless you’re bilingual in English and Chinese this playful billboard is a good example of a mistake on purpose.

The Fast Food Marquee

While the branding of the signs themselves are always carefully managed by corporate and contracted out to professional design firms, the marquees that go under them are left to the local management. This results in such gems as this Wendy’s marquee. Bonus points to the hiring request adding even further unintentional humor.